Beauty and the Beast
by Vox Nixin
Summary: The demon felt an amalgamation of wrath for those who hurt Ciel and a wish to protect Ciel from further harm. Sebastian will help Ciel escape and murder those who forced him into prostitution and degraded him, but along the way Ciel discovers secrets that are best left burried. AU. All characters from the anime/manga will be included. SebxCiel
1. Beauty and the Beast

**Before starting I'd like to say thank you for reading this story. I hope you enjoy it. Some aspects may be confusing, but I assure you all will be resolved in the end. Nonetheless, if you have any questions, do ask. **

**IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ: the number and phrase on top of paragraphs is the music for that specific section. If you can, please listen to the music (on repeat until you finish the corresponding paragraph) until you reach the next section. You can find most of these songs on youtube. If you have no access to youtube or have problems finding the song, don't worry! It's just meant to enhance the reading experience. **

**Thank you very much for your time. **

**~Vox **

beauty & the beast

**I: Bioshock OST: 07 Dancers on a String **

Confined to the darkness clouding a human's realm, a demon's life is that of eternal damnation. Surrounded by an impurity and evil that competes even with the most vilifying aspects of their realm, demons are cannibalistic monstrosities who crave their brethren.

However, unlike their brethren, humans are such hopeless creatures. It's amazing, really, how a human can fall for a temptation, and how that miniscule temptation can birth a domino effect of misfortunes for him or her.

This isn't the time or place to discuss Alois and Claude's failures, however. The slate has been washed anew, and, as I have nothing else to do in my heavenly home, I shall simply watch the tragic comedy known as Ciel and Sebastian's lives.

Now, please take a seat. Our story starts in 19th century London, with a young boy who was kidnapped at the tender age of ten to become a prostitute.

The setting is a tiny, foul-smelling cage with a single mattress, chains attaching our lovely Ciel to the cage bars, a bucket in the corner for excrements, and a few apples on the ground for the next few days' nourishment. And in the center of t his cage, of course, is Ciel. A malnourished but still beautiful young boy with a cold demeanor. Tough, isn't it? Disgusting, even. Do not fret. He has the help of a certain Beast.

**II: Pan's Labyrinth OST: 02 The Labyrinth **

The chains tying Robin to his perch were rusty and made oh-so-much noise at even the slightest movement. _So if I attempt to escape, the guards will be alerted._ It was a simple fact he had easily acknowledged the first day he had been escorted to his new home. It still didn't stop him from trying, and he had an array of burn marks and whip scars to prove it.

"Robin!" a rough, scratchy voice with a thick Cockney accent interrupted the young boy's thoughts, "You got a customer! Sebastian, Mey-Rin! Get the brat ready!"

An ear-splitting crash and a stuttered apology caused the guard to mumble, "Forget you, Mey-Rin. Sebastian will take care of this shit."

Eyes the color of the Mediterranean Sea glanced towards the only doorway connecting the row of fly-mottled cells with the rest of the household. A tall, lithe man gracefully strode through the doorway and stopped at Cell Fourteen: otherwise known as Robin's Cell.

"Sebastian…" he mumbled, eyeing the household's well-dressed butler. Sebastian's hands were behind his back, and, quite honestly, the young boy was both curious and anxious as to what he was hiding.

"Please bear with it, Robin."

The dark haired butler slowly removed his arm from behind his back to reveal a beautiful dress the color of a midnight sky, peppered with unidentifiable crystalline gems.

Robin's eyes widened just a tad (after a while, one starts to get used to the oddities known as human fetishes).

"Mr. Runnmore has a fetish for little boys in dresses," Sebastian stated bluntly, his head bowed down as if apologizing for the cruelty his masters forced the thirteen-year-old boy to face daily.

"I realized that," Robin sighed. His face crumpled for just a moment (as it did whenever he had a customer), but as quickly as it appeared the expression was gone and his face was blank as a slate.

"Then, Robin, shall I dress you?"

"Yes, Sebastian," the boy whispered, and immediately the raggedy cloth he was wearing was unbuttoned and tossed to the corner of the tile-floored cell.

Though he would never admit it (too egotistical, that boy), Sebastian was probably the only man Robin trusted exposing himself to. After three years of being forced into trafficking, his trust in the male gender had been reduced to zero at a surprisingly fast rate.

"Robin, you are ready for the customer," Sebastian stepped back and bowed, eyeing the young child (not quite hungrily, his eyes _did_ had a tinge of hunger in them but there was more sadness and pity to the burgundy orbs than there was hunger).

Robin glanced down at the midnight dress he was clad in, and his shoulders sunk.

"Sebastian! Hurry the fuck up in there! Mr. Runnmore's got a hand full of cash and we can't keep him waiting!" the guard called again.

"Sebastian, please, no…"

The sentence was weaved together in his mind quickly and only when the phrase left his lips (barely) he noticed how weak and little it made him sound.

"We may talk after your customer is satisfied," Sebastian said lightly.

Heavy steps echoed throughout the corridor of cells. Robin's customer was approaching.

Even through a curtain of ebony velvet hair Robin could spot the stout man hobbling over to his cage awkwardly, sweating profusely.

Robin glanced over towards where Sebastian would have been, but, to the young boy's dismay, the butler had already disappeared (as he often did). When he turned back, the face of a portly pig examining every inch of his porcelain skin greeted him.

_Disgusting…_

"Ah, hello, yes, Robin?" Mr. Runnmore asked, kissing the young boy's hand with sweaty, full lips.

"Yes, pig?" Robin growled.

"_Play nice, brat!_" the guard barked, slamming a hand against the cage's door.

Robin was mildly startled, 'mildly' being the key word.

"He can't play with me if I'm dead," Robin glared.

With a sneer and a spit towards the boy's large, doll-like eyes, the guard asked, "Mr. Runnmore, sir, would you like me to punish your toy before you play with him?"

"No, please do not worry. I shall punish this little bird sufficiently enough tonight," the man said with a wink. The guard nodded and unlocked the chains connecting the "little bird" to his perch.

"Then, shall we go?"

The black-haired boy, with great reluctance, offered his hand to the portly man. Mr. Runnmore pulled him up and escorted him to a rather roomy carriage waiting outside the Mannchester Household.

**III: Snowtime by Samm Neiland **

_I'm just a child…_

Robin woke up on a spacious cream-colored bed, and, after examining the mostly Mahogany room, he recognized it as one of the Mannchester's.

_Mr. Runnmore must have returned me late last night._

The pain (physical and mental) was unbearable.

_I'm still a child…_

No matter how many times he repeated the ghastly (damned) phrase in his mind, to these filthy rich business men Ciel Phantomhive, now simply known as Robin, was an item. An object to be touched and kissed and fucked.

_Just a toy…_

Deep blue tears welled up in Ciel's deep blue eyes, threatening to spill over.

_I won't cry. I can't cry. I can't show weakness._

The three phrases just seemed to catalyze the sobbing process, and before he knew it, he was crumpled up like a broken doll in a plush blanket.

A pair of Mahogany doors opened, revealing a tall, lithe man who gracefully strode through the depressing room.

"Sebastian!" Ciel gasped, surprised (for once) that someone had decided to retrieve him. He was never retrieved so early in the morning.

"Rob-Ciel…" he sighed, sitting at the edge of the bed.

A silence filled the room with pathos.

"You're crying," Sebastian stated, hoping Ciel would elaborate on his obvious statement.

"No I'm not," the boy rumbled, burying deeper into the safety of the bed.

"Please don't lie, Ciel. It is quite obvious that you're crying, I just wish to know why. You're used to these disgusting businessmen, are you not?" he asked, quirking a dark eyebrow.

"How could I ever get used to these _creatures?_" Ciel suddenly roared, a string of bottled up emotions finally snapping within him. "How could I ever get used to the feeling of simply being a toy, a doll, some source of entertainment? How could I ever get used to this hatred, this fury, this _jealousy for the normal!_"

Ciel's voice wavered and his breaking point was finally revealed.

Sebastian, watching the boy sob, felt afraid.

There was an amalgamation of wrath for those who hurt Ciel and a wish to protect Ciel from further harm.

The demon was afraid the emotion bubbling up in his darkened soul was something solely human, and dismissed it as he briskly walked out of the room and the source of these feelings.

**IV:**

My, my, I rather like the beginning of this tale. You know, I've been thinking of a title for this tale while I was watching it unfold.

I shall call this story Beauty and the Beast.

**Thanks again for reading! This was just a prologue of sorts, the next chapters should (hopefully) be longer. Also, I was feeling quite nauseous while writing this but wanted to get this idea out, so apologies if it didn't meet your expectations. Ta-ta! **


	2. porcelain dolls

**Hello, hello! Just wanted to state here that the Mannchester Household isn't some random household I made up. It's the cover name for an actual character's household; I just didn't want to reveal everything so quickly. **

**I'd like to thank the following lovelies for their reviews/advice; I do take every word of advice into account: promocat, The Only Sane One, WwLOLwW, Syao Blossoms, and inuxkaglover. Thank you all very much! And thank you all for your favorites/follows as well! **

**Last but not least, I read through the first chapter yesterday and found the music titles quite disruptive to the flow of the reading, if that makes any sense. If you'd like me to bring back the music, feel free to request it, but for now they are not included.**

**Thank you!**

**~Vox **

porcelain dolls

**I:**

Hello again. You seem to be interested in Ciel's tale, considering you've come back for the second chapter of his life. Are you sadistic? Curious, perhaps? Oh, well. There's a fine line between the two.

Can I get you some tea? Coffee? Wine? I kid, of course…

We have no need for beverages in heaven.

Regardless, please make yourself comfortable. Unfortunately, our tale will not start off with Ciel today. It will start off with someone very, very close to me. An angel with demonic intent, a lost child, a creature of the daylight whose roots lie in the night.

Well then, I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise. The curtains open, and the dirge plays…

**II:**

The funeral was lead by an eccentric man dressed in clothes as dark as the night. His clothes contrasted starkly with his hair, which was as light as the moon. He was nothing short of ecstatic when he learned of Angela Landers's premature death. He would get to dress her up like a doll; and her appearance certainly resembled that of a doll's: pale hair, kind lavender eyes, and porcelain skin. She was just as delicate as she looked, he noted, as her porcelain skin was mottled by bruises and blemished by scars and burns. Torture, he noted again, I'll fix her right up. And fix her up he did, as by the time she was placed in her beautiful resting place she looked brand new.

A mournful dirge played in the background of the funeral service, and it mixed in quite perfectly with the soft sobs of the family members attending the young woman's funeral. Her mother, Angelica Landers, her father, Alexander Landers, and her brother, Ash Landers, all lined up in a row like toy soldiers to watch their Angela's body being eaten by the earth.

_So young, so pure_, the men sobbed, regretful that they hadn't a chance to place greedy hands on her pale skin.

_So pure, so sweet_, the women sobbed, regretful that they hadn't a chance to become better friends with such an unadulterated soul.

Ash Landers, however, ignored the muffled cries, the fake consolations that barely left lips tied by puppet strings.

_We're so, sorry, Ash…_

_Mr. Landers, why don't we attend dinner to ease your mind?_

_Miss Landers certainly did not deserve to be beaten like that. _

His eyes were on his twin sister and his twin sister only:

Angela Landers, the broken doll.

**III: **

"Angela Landers," Sebastian's burgundy orbs scanned the obituaries section of the newspaper placed on his master's Mahogany dining table, "The Broken Doll." 

Sebastian's master, Mister Mannchester, as all his staff was ordered to call him, barely peered up from his breakfast of an assortment of aged cheeses and fresh breads and fruits. He grunted, and the butler continued on obediently reading the newspaper.

"Lovely Miss Angela Landers has passed away. Her life was ended prematurely and tragically by a Mr. Henry Barrymore. Young Miss Landers had a life filled with expectancies-"

"Stop."

The single voice echoed throughout the otherwise silent room; bouncing off the stained glass windows and wine colored carpet until Sebastian raised an eyebrow in question (not disrespectfully, of course. He would never disrespect his master).

"Barrymore. Has he been apprehended?" the question was followed by a sip of tea.

"Yes. I followed him this morning, as you requested, and I can assure you he was apprehended. What is he to you, sir, if I may ask?"

"He's my business partner. We trade our workers often. I was supposed to receive Angela soon, but it seems like he became infatuated with her…"

Mannchester trailed off, his eyes rolling towards the stained glass windows. For a while warm caramel met the brilliant reds and blues and greens of the stained glass and, with a hand curled under his chin and a bored expression gracing his handsome face, Mister Mannchester's eyes rolled back towards Sebastian as the butler posed an inquisitive question.

"Master, you say Mister Barrymore was infatuated with Miss Angela, but he murdered her. Brutally, might I add. I can't quite comprehend how one can identify those acts as acts of love," Sebastian stated, bowing his head as he quickly added (right on par for a butler of his caliber), "Forgive me if that question was too out of line."

"Not at all, Sebastian, not at all…" Mister Mannchester smirked, standing up rather quickly from the velvet chair perched at the head of the table, "whenever Mister Barrymore becomes infatuated, he harms the object of his infatuation."

The regal man strode towards a rather odd-looking bookshelf. He pulled an emerald leather-bound book and a clicking noise was emitted from a cabinet nearby.

"He was always a sadist, sadly..." he murmured, striding over towards the cabinet with a butterfly-like grace, midnight coattails trailing behind him, "…tell me, Sebastian, do you remember…"

Mister Mannchester opened the cabinet and carefully removed a tall garbage-green bottle from its wooden cage. He poured himself a glass of his favorite wine (declining Sebastian's offer to assist him; what was he, a child?).

He gyrated the glass, the plum liquid swirling around itself and collapsing in wave-like motions as he contemplated something unknown to Sebastian.

"Yes, Master?"

"Never mind."

The answer was rapid and stated in a tone that suggested the end of the conversation. Mister Mannchester roughly placed the untouched wine on the breakfast table and turned to the window with a frown.

"Sebastian, prepare Robin. We have a special guest tonight; a loyal client."

"Yes, my lord," Sebastian said with an eloquent bow.

"Oh, and Sebastian?"

"Yes, Master?"

"Kill Barrymore before Robin is prepared. The pig won't withstand torture."

"Yes, Master."

The heavy gold-encrusted door closed, and Mannchester was alone in his dining room, a grin splitting his face.

**IV:**

Sebastian was forced to take extra measures as safety precautions to assure that no one who saw him murdering Barrymore lived to tell the horrid tale. He also assumed responsibility for making the crime seem like an act of anger in lieu of a cleanup. Though there was a lot to be done, Sebastian Michaelis was one hell of a butler, and the whole gory affair took less than a couple of hours.

Superhuman speed came with the butler's demonic abilities, and currently, he was racing through a forest hardly anyone dared to venture in. He was ordered to prepare Ciel for a loyal customer, and he would not be late. He never was.

About fifteen minutes later and the butler clad in black arrived at the Mannchester's Gothic mansion. Pluto, the guard dog, howled miserably, his cries resonating throughout the surrounding acres of forest and woods.

Pluto never howled unless there was an emergency. It acted as a signal for the guards and butlers to assume position and to be prepared for either a search or an assault.

Sebastian hastily walked through the gardens encircling the front of the mansion and opened the front door.

"Sebastian!" a childlike voice greeted the butler. He recognized it as one of the butlers who functioned as a guard: Finnian.

"Finnian, why is Pluto howling?" Sebastian asked, a bit of worry lacing his low words.

"Someone escaped!" the blonde cried, clutching onto the ends of his black jacket. Finny was nervous, and it was obvious in the stress features that made him appear older than he was. The youth despised search missions; it usually ended up with someone's death.

"Do you know who-"

"_Sebastian!_"

The hiss was venomous and caused Finny to whip around in fear.

Mister Mannchester's eyes were narrowed and his brows furrowed. A snarl and clenched teeth completed his infuriated appearance.

"Who has gone missing, Master?" Sebastian asked, undaunted by his superior's wrath.

"_CIEL PHANTOMHIVE!_" he roared, spit flying off of his thin lips and animalistic emotion infecting the entranceway.

**V:**

It was easy enough, the escape. The problem was the consequences he would face should he be caught. Ciel had attempted escape more than once, and it all ended up with him being beaten brutally. Blood everywhere, unwilling tears. The cycle had repeated itself.

That was why Ciel Phantomhive had escaped again. The cycle would come to an end, and it wouldn't be through his death.

The short boy sprinted through the forest, bounding over roots of trees that strayed from their trunks, dodging contorted vines and overgrown foliage. The leaves from the tops of the trees mingled and intertwined into themselves so the canopy they formed over the forest let only the strongest rays of an orange red sunset through.

Ciel's lungs were small to accommodate his small body, and, after running (and jogging sporadically) for about thirty minutes, his throat began to burn and his sides ached.

The adrenaline rush that accompanied him earlier was starting to wear off (much to his dismay) and he came to a full stop, doubled over and hands on his knees, in order to catch his breath.

Though Ciel wasn't one to regret his decisions, he was a bit anxious that his actions would earn him an especially painful punishment. Death was certainly an option as well, however, even though he was thirteen, he'd come to embrace the possibility that death was always present and waiting.

Alone in an unfamiliar forest, Ciel stumbled over to a tree trunk and stared into the canopy of blood red, sapphire eyes slowly and involuntarily closing.

**VI:**

"Are you clear on your orders, Sebastian?" Mister Mannchester growled, having just briefed the butler on his actions should he find the missing Phantomhive.

"Yes, my lord," Sebastian said with a bow.

The head of the household nodded his head in response, pacing through the cramped corridor by his bedroom. His footsteps were muted due to the dark blue and green plush carpet lining the hall, and occasionally he glanced out the large windows covered by a similar fabric.

"Hurry up and bring him back. No one's been able to find the little brat."

"I will retrieve him as quickly as possible," the butler smiled.

"Go," Mister Mannchester snarled, dismissing Sebastian with a hasty wave of the hand.

**VII:**

Sebastian zipped through the now darkened forest, the night-vision his demon eyes provided proving immensely useful. His bright pink eyes glowed in the darkness of the night, a seemingly pair of disconnected eyes floating by quite quickly.

_How far could he have gone_, Sebastian wondered as the distance between the Mannchester manor and the forest grew further and further apart. _For such a small boy he ran quite a lot, didn't he?_

About twenty minutes later he found Ciel. Slumped up against a sturdy tree, the boy appeared even younger when he slept.

For a moment, silence hung in the air. Sebastian stared at the boy with an air of melancholy about him. He was simply a child, sleeping soundly against a tree, his lashes fluttering lightly every time a gust blew by. Such innocence, such purity. _A porcelain doll._

But alas, the aura of innocence the boy gave off as he slept was interrupted by Sebastian's gloved hand gently shaking his shoulder.

Ciel woke up with a start, his body unfurling and his eyes darting this way and that.

"Sebastian?"

Surprise was evident in his voice when he realized the butler was the one who woke him.

"Yes, Ciel. I'm afraid I have to escort you back to the manor now," Sebastian said, his now- reddish eyes lowering.

A gasp slipped through the boy's lips, and his brow furrowed for a second as he mentally reprimanded himself for showing surprise.

"I figured as much. Must you take me back…?" he said, murmuring the last question and letting his eyes travel to the forest floor.

Another silence filled the air as Ciel toyed with the few stalks of grass that managed to break through their mossy cages.

Sebastian's eyes pierced Ciel's, and cherry-brown and azure clashed.

"Ciel, I find it best if you go back to sleep," the butler suddenly smiled, gently petting the child's head.

"What…?" Ciel sighed, somewhat confused at the sudden change in demeanor. His surprise heightened as the butler whispered, almost inaudibly, "Please don't worry. I won't hurt you." The teen complied, deciding he would not be able to fall asleep on bark. He placed his head on the butler's lap and closed his eyes.

Again he was surprised when Sebastian Michaelis, the demon butler, did not protest whatsoever.

**VIII: **

Half an hour later and Ciel was back to sleep. Sebastian removed his gloves and laid Ciel against a nearby tree, creasing his brows as the boy stirred a bit. However, he did not wake up, and Sebastian started his trek to the Mannchester manor.

The Mannchester manor at night was quite a beautiful image; a warm gold glow was emitted through the windows, and, where there was light by the stained windows, there were amalgamations of brilliant colors.

Sebastian entered the manor through a spare key given only to him. Slouched over in a chair right by the entrance was Mister Mannchester. His eyes turned away from the manuscript he was reading when he heard his butler enter the mansion. Caramel eyes narrowed as he realized there was no child behind him.

"Where is Ciel Phantomhive?" he asked, voice oddly deprived of emotions.

"I'm afraid he isn't in the forest, sir," Sebastian bowed apologetically.

"How far could he have run in about an hour?" Mister Mannchester questioned, picking stray dirt from his otherwise clean nails.

"Not far, sir. However, I believe he may have offered _services_ to someone wandering in the woods in exchange for a place to hide," the butler suggested, anticipating his master would believe the lie.

"You believe so, Sebastian?" the other asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes, Master Mannchester."

"Well, if you believe so, then please, go back to sleep. You did your best, didn't you?" Mister Mannchester sighed, standing up from his chair and climbing the stairs to his room, "You'll search again in the morning."

"Yes, my lord," Sebastian bowed again, fringes of black hair hiding a tiny smile.

_Ciel's soul will be a delicious one, once I cultivate it. _

**IX: **

Meanwhile, in a forest not so far away from the Mannchester manor, a pale young man with snow white hair decided to take a stroll in order to ease his mind off the atrocious death of his sister and the equally atrocious death of Mister Barrymore. Ash Landers was hoping he could interrogate the swine, but his time had run out.

He happened to stumble upon a sleeping young boy with midnight hair and long eyelashes, but decided against waking him. Perhaps he was a feral child. Ash assumed that if there was a defenseless feral child in this forest, there must be a strong feral mother nearby, watching him. And so he strolled out of the forest, concocting a plan to find out why Mister Barrymore had murdered his sister and why she was in his presence in the first place.


End file.
